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BBQ King

April 19th 2006 05:15

18 Goulburn St Sydney - 9267 2586

"Come to Homer's BBQB; the last B stands for BYOB". Ah Simpsons...

Anyway, *this* BBQ King is the Sydney stalwart, a late night haunt, and a purveyor of great Chinese food, especially barbequed and roast meats. The orange glow of the ducks and pork hanging up behind glass is like a calling light to the wanderers of the night. To the left of the kitchen is the entrance to the restaurant set up in what is reminiscent of a two storey house. A long time ago. Big festivities greet you as the first table on entering seems to be the party table, seating at least 12. Both downstairs and upstairs tables are everywhere, and admittedly the decor is not much to look at. But as usual it's the food we're here for.

With the name containing the word 'BBQ', (if it can be called a word), you can't not order the pork or duck for which BBQ King is so well known. So naturally we order both. The barbeque pork and roast duck plate contains two large piles of meat; the pork coated in the typical red/orange baste, and the duck with crispy skin and on the bone. For me the pork is the standout; the others prefer the duck; but we come to the agreement that they both are the best dish of the night, and that BBQ King is aptly named.

On walking in we spy two people having an interesting pile of vegetables shaped like celeriac or fennel but a darker green, in a brown sauce; we find out this is 'bitter melon in black bean sauce' and unfortunately it's run out. Damn. But it looks like a very interesting dish to have next time. In an attempt to have some vegetables we instead have the braised lettuce with garlic. This is really nice, slightly reminiscent of the French braised lettuce and peas, with a heavy sauce and strong garlic taste. It goes very well with the other dishes, including the Canton fried rice.

Now although I'm not a fan of fried rice at all, I can still recognise a good version; and this is one. My brother, who is, shall we say a fried rice connoisseur, highly approves. It's not too oily (as far as I understand fried rice should be dry fried, as in no oil added whatsoever) and studded with egg, tiny prawns, bits of Chinese sausage, and all together tasty little morsels.

We also tried the Sichuan prawns, realising BBQ King is not the best place to try Sichuan food, but we wanted something different. It seems just prawns, onions, capsicum and chopped chilli in think sauce. The prawns are of slightly dubious quality, with a very frozen and bland taste to them, inexcusable in Sydney with our access to quality seafood. But the dish itself is very correct, if not as exciting as the others.

BBQ King comes highly recommended for what it's good at; barbequed meats, congees, and all manner of Cantonese food. It's the perfect late night destination (open til 2am), and although it may not be as cheap as some other Chinese restaurants ("BBQ King knows what it's worth and they charge it", says a friend) it's definitely better, tastier, and much more worth your while.

Sorry Laura and Cibby, I havnt tried bitter melon yet, I feel like I'm missing out! But I'd imagine it would have to be cooked, otherwise it'd be too crunchy for the dish, like celery - and no one likes celery.

Amy, yeah I see your point, it's just that Asian restuarants are so tasty and cheap, and there are good ones everywhere so it's rather convenient. The next one I've got on the way is Vietnamese (Asian but not Thai or Chinese!) but then after that I'll try and branch out but in the meantime you've given me a good idea; I'll make a list of the best places to eat in terms of cuisine region, and area. So everyone can have a definitive list while I get around to reviewing them all! Cheers!